1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a socket and a motherboard using the socket, and in particular to a latch structure of the socket.
2. Related Prior Art
Electrical sockets for mounting a plurality of circuit board cards on a motherboard are well known in the industry. The circuit board cards may be interface cards, adapter cards or other types of circuit board, such as single in-line memory modules (SIMM) or dual inline memory modules (DIMM). The circuit board cards may also be test boards or other types of board with specific functions. In order to ensure that the circuit board cards are maintained in position in the sockets and well electrically engaging with contacts of the sockets, a number of latches are provided on ends of the sockets.
A conventional motherboard, prior to that patent, is equipped with a number of memory sockets that are arranged side by side and spaced apart on the circuit board. In doing so, gaps between each two memory sockets are unused and become a waste of the motherboard. For this, some techniques are provided to solve the forgoing problems as following.
With the miniaturization of the electronic devices, dimensions of the circuit boards installed in the electronic devices are confined more or less. The electronic devices may be desktop computers, laptop computers, server computers or the like. Due to the tight space limits, the conventional server motherboard 9, as shown in FIG. 7, has its memory sockets 90 divided into two groups side by side along a longitudinal direction. Further, the three memory sockets 90 in each group are arranged side by side along a lateral direction and spaced apart from one another. Besides, each of the three memory sockets 90 in one group is oriented end to end and in close proximity to the respective one in the other group.
As shown in FIG. 8, each of the two memory socket 901 on the motherboard 9 has an end formed with a latch 901. The latch 901 can be held in a latched position, as shown in FIG. 8, for fastening a circuit board card (not shown), or be pulled to an open position, as shown in FIG. 9, for extraction of the circuit board card.
However, it is necessary for the motherboard 9 to preserve an interval W between the two adjacent memory sockets 90 in order to allow the opposed latches 901 of the memory sockets 90 to be completely pulled to the respective open positions, as shown in FIG. 9. The interval W apparently occupies an area of the motherboard 9 and is undesired in the motherboard where space is at a premium.